KEY POINTS
- Gambaryan is ‘very ill’ and requires prompt medical care after collapsing in court last week, his lawyer said
- Justice Nwite ordered Gambaryan to be taken to a hospital, but his family said he remains in prison
- Gambaryan’s wife said her husband was being treated inhumanely and pled for the U.S. government’s help
Tigran Gambaryan, Binance’s head of financial crime compliance who has been jailed in Nigeria for some three months now, is suspected of having malaria, a mosquito-borne parasitic condition that may be life-threatening and requires urgent medical attention.
Partner C.J. Caleb of Aluko & Oyebode, the law firm handling Gambaryan’s case, recently wrote in a letter to the Deputy Chief Registrar of the Federal High Court (FHC), that Gambaryan “is very ill and requires comprehensive medical attention at the best available hospital within the jurisdiction of this honorable court,” as per local media.
The law firm went on to remind the deputy chief registrar how the Binance executive, who was held against his will by Nigerian authorities late in February, had collapsed in court during a hearing last week and had to be given intravenous (IV) “treatment for malaria.”
“The Consul Officer at the United States Consul Office in Abuja, emphasized the need for the applicant to receive comprehensive treatment because malaria is a severe disease for American citizens which can result in death because they do not have the immunity that ordinary Nigerians have against the disease,” Caleb reportedly wrote, adding that his client was also suffering from a throat infection.
A Gambaryan family spokesperson backed the information. “It has not yet officially been ascertained what he is suffering from, given that the medical facilities at Kuje are inadequate. It is suspected that he has a severe throat infection and Malaria,” the spokesperson was quoted as saying by CoinDesk on Tuesday.
Gambaryan, a former U.S. federal agent, collapsed during a trial late last week. One of his lawyers, Mark Mordi, told the court that his client’s health had been deteriorating. Justice Emeka Nwite ordered the Nigerian jail management service to take the crypto expert to a hospital so he could receive proper care.
However, the family spokesperson said Gambaryan was not moved to a hospital after the Justice’s order. His wife, Yuki, said her husband was receiving “inhumane treatment” in Nigerian custody.
She urged the U.S. government and “everyone who can help” to at least get Gambaryan to a hospital so he can get the appropriate medical attention he needs. She had previously rejected allegations against her husband, including his alleged involvement in Binance’s supposed money laundering in Nigeria.
Ahead of last week’s hearing, Gambaryan’s bail application was denied, with Nwite saying he believes the Binance compliance officer “will jump bail if granted.” He was detained against his will late in February alongside Nadeem Anjarwalla, Binance’s regional manager for Africa.
Anjarwalla fled Nigerian custody in March and flew to Kenya, while Gambaryan has remained in the country on charges related to the crypto exchange giant’s alleged money laundering and assisting Nigerian users in evading taxes.
